


You Can Be My Muse

by chloebeale



Category: Pitch Perfect (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-15
Updated: 2012-11-15
Packaged: 2017-11-18 17:19:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/563516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chloebeale/pseuds/chloebeale
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Beca, an art student, is immediately smitten with the new nude model in her life drawing class. Despite her tendency to avoid contact with other people, she initiates a new friendship with Chloe, frightened by how quickly her feelings grow.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Can Be My Muse

Nude drawings weren’t new territory for Beca. She was a 2nd year art major and she was fairly used to sketching nude bodies for life drawing class. As a freshman, she’d been taken aback by the idea, almost letting the mere thought of having to do a nude drawing deter her from majoring in the field she was most passionate about. Her parents would’ve been ecstatic to find out that their daughter was doing something more “realistic” with her life, though, and she couldn’t give them that kind of satisfaction. 

Her class had been informed that they would be beginning a weeklong session of sketching their newest nude model on Monday and would continue doing so until Friday. Beca didn’t really think much of it when she strolled into class that day, her sketchbook safely nestled in her bag as she took her typical seat near the front of the class. 

A redheaded girl with piercing blue eyes sat on the stool in front of her easel, clad in a silky purple robe that she clutched against her. She was smiling as she looked around the room at the students filing in. Her eyes settled onto Beca’s. 

Immediately upon making eye contact with the girl she assumed was to be their model today, Beca felt a strange sensation in the pit of her stomach. She tried to ignore it as she took out her materials and set them up for the class. 

Her professor, Dr. McMannis (he preferred to be called Dan) stepped in front of the class and explained what they were going to be doing today. Then he turned the floor over to the model, introducing her as Chloe and giving her the chance to say something about herself if she wanted to. 

“Hi, everyone!” she sounded excited as she spoke, making animated gestures with her hands, “I’m Chloe Beale, I’m a junior here at Barden and I’m an English major. I’ve been nude modeling for Dan’s classes since last year and I totally love it. Don’t feel awkward or weird looking at me, because obviously we’re all born naked and it’s not a huge deal or whatever. I don’t mind at all and…yeah.” she smiled, taking a seat. 

Dan took over again, reminding them of some drawing techniques, etc., all of which Beca already knew about. Instead of listening to a speech she’d already heard, she was looking at Chloe, whom she swore kept sneaking glances at her. The older girl took a long drink from her bottle of water and when Dan announced it was time, she disrobed and sat back down on the stool. 

She sat in a typical thinker sort of pose, the expression gone from her face, no trace of the smile she’d been wearing moments before. Ever the professional, she tried her best to keep her eyes trained forward and stayed remarkably still while Beca and her classmates drew her form. 

Beca began with the general outline, trying again to ignore the fluttering sensation in her stomach as she concentrated on perfecting the beginning stages of her sketch. She couldn’t help but let her eyes linger on Chloe’s form, noticing every curve of her body and smiling to herself when she noticed a freckle or imperfection. Each of these things did not diminish her beauty at all; in fact, they only served to make her even more breath-taking. 

She stared at the girl so hard that she felt as if the image of her nude body sitting on that stool was burned into her brain. Beca almost felt as if she could finish the drawing at home solely based on her memory. When class was over, she realized she had a headache, probably caused by her serious lack of blinking in the past 45 minutes. 

Chloe slipped her robe back on and Beca found herself waiting up for her at the end of class, transfixed by the model and wishing to speak with her. Besides, she had a sizeable break between classes and talking to this girl would give her something to do to pass the time, since she was already caught up on her readings for her art history class. 

“Hey, Chloe, right?” Beca asked, even though she knew her name. She didn’t want to come off as creepy for remembering it, though. 

The other girl nodded, smiling a bit. “Yeah.” 

They continued to walk down the hallway and Beca thought about how weird it must be walking through the halls wearing only a robe. 

“I’m Beca,” she announced hesitantly, glancing over at Chloe, “Listen, uh, if you need some clothes to change into, you’re welcome to borrow some of mine. You’re a little taller than me, but I think maybe they’d…fit.” She stopped when she noticed Chloe grinning at her like she was an idiot. 

She held up her red duffel bag embroidered with the school logo. 

“I thought ahead. I brought some clothes to change into. Thanks, though, for being thoughtful.” 

“Right, well. I wouldn’t want you to be…cold?” Beca said lamely. 

Chloe laughed, stopping next to the women’s restroom. She glanced at Beca for a moment, chewing thoughtfully on her bottom lip. 

“If you’re not busy right now, would you wanna grab lunch with me?” she offered, gesturing toward the bathroom door, “After I get dressed, of course.” 

Beca’s face brightened. 

“Yeah! That would be awesome!” Realizing how overexcited she sounded, she took her voice down a decibel, “I mean, yeah, sure.” 

Chloe told her she’d just be a minute and she headed into the restroom to get changed. That left Beca standing awkwardly in the hallway waiting for her. She leaned against the wall with a sigh, contemplating taking out her iPod to listen to while she waited. 

“Hey, Beca!” A familiar voice called out. 

It was her friend Jesse, a guy who had been in her drawing 101 class last year and whom she’d hung out with a couple times. He was pretty dorky but he made her laugh, so she didn’t mind it that much. 

“Hi, Jesse, how’s your semester going?” Beca asked politely, fiddling with the strap on her bag. 

“It’s going pretty great, you know. I just started dating this girl, she’s pretty awesome. She’s a sorority girl! I know, right, who knew? Anyway she’s like drop dead gorgeous, leggy blond, a little uptight but an animal in the sack…” 

As he was telling her all this, Beca couldn’t help but be amused. When she’d told him casually a year ago that she was a lesbian, he’d been ridiculously excited about the prospect of them chatting about girls together. She thought it was pretty idiotic, seeing as how he had plenty of guy friends to do the very same thing with, but she never complained about it. 

On occasion she would make a comment about a girl passing by, but she hadn’t really dated anyone since she started going to Barden, unless that hookup she’d had at the frat party counted. And there was no way she was telling Jesse any details of that encounter. 

As Jesse continued talking about his new girlfriend, Chloe emerged from the women’s restroom wearing a pair of jeans and a V-neck shirt. Beca tried to ignore the massive amount of cleavage she was showing, thinking back to how her bare breasts had looked only ten minutes earlier. 

When Chloe approached them, she looked at Beca and then at Jesse, realizing that they knew each other and laughing in disbelief as to how small the campus really was. 

“Oh my god, Jesse, hi! How are you?” 

Beca wondered how they knew each other and instantly began feeling a little jealousy at their friendly interaction. Stop it, Beca, she’s obviously straight, she told herself once she realized that she had already developed a very stupid crush on the redheaded model. Halfway through tuning out of their conversation, Beca listened in again, realizing that the girl Jesse had just been telling her about was Chloe’s roommate, Aubrey. Or was it Audrey? She hadn’t been listening closely enough. She was more focused on the idea that Chloe was probably a sorority girl, too, if her roommate was. They probably lived in the sorority house on campus together. Beca wasn’t the sorority type, the mere thought of living in a house with a bunch of catty girls made her want to dry heave. 

A wave of relief came over her as the conversation drew to a close and Jesse said goodbye, Beca feeling oddly thankful that Jesse was dating this other girl. The girl code would prevent Chloe from ever being even remotely interested in Jesse. Not to say she’d be interested in Beca. But better someone else than Jesse. 

“So, how do you know Jesse?” Chloe made conversation as they walked together toward the dining hall. 

“Oh, we took a drawing class together last semester,” Beca explained nonchalantly. 

“I thought he was a drama major?” 

“He is. He needed a credit, I guess? I don’t know. He barely passed. I’m telling you, that kid can barely draw a straight line,” she laughed. 

“Oh, okay,” Chloe laughed too, her duffle bag slapping against her jeans. 

“You said you were an English major, right?” 

“Uh huh. I’m a total nerd,” she indicated as they walked up the hill. 

Beca’s eyes drifted over to Chloe. 

“No way, you’re totally hot!” her face reddened slightly at her own choice of words, “I just mean, you don’t seem like a nerd.” 

“There’s all kinds of nerds, and I assure you that I am one of them,” Chloe paused, “Go ahead. Quiz me on something English-y.” 

“English-y? Yeah, you’re off to a great start, that’s not even a real word.” 

“Shut up,” the older girl giggled, swatting at Beca playfully, “Seriously, ask me anything.” 

“What’s your favorite book?” It’s the only thing Beca could think of. 

“That’s like the meanest question ever to ask an English major! It’s like asking me to choose between my children!” Chloe said desperately as they neared the building, “Overall, probably the Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe. That’s kind of cheating because there’s so much in it, but whatever. I mean, I love Shakespeare too. I’m a big fan of Sylvia Plath—like, super big. And a lot of writers you’ve probably never heard of…”

“You’re a literature hipster, aren’t you?” Beca teased while opening the door. 

“I am not. How dare you call me a hipster!” Chloe gasped, allowing the door to hit the brunette after she walked through it. 

“Only hipsters get mad when you call them hipsters,” she pointed out with a smirk. 

Chloe hung up her bag in the designed bag area. 

“Why am I having lunch with you again?” She asked with faux-rudeness. 

Beca grinned. “Because I’m awesome?” 

“Okay, your turn. What’s your favorite book?” The junior prompted as they got in line, swiping their school IDs to pay for their meals. 

“Twilight.” 

“IT IS NOT,” Chloe shrieked, grabbing a plate from the food bar, “Tell me you’re kidding.” 

Beca’s face dissolved from a serious expression into a wide smile. She laughed. 

“I almost got you there. Mmm, and what if I’d have said I loved 50 Shades of Grey?” 

“Ugh, gross. That’s even worse. Don’t talk to me about that trash,” Chloe muttered, piling lettuce onto her plate and making herself a salad. 

Beca watched her with interest, having absolutely no desire to eat rabbit food. 

“I’m gonna let you think about it and try to guess what my favorite book is. I’m gonna grab some pizza.” 

She migrated over to the pizza area, grabbing a few slices along with an M&M cookie. She found a table and sat her things down, possessively glaring at anyone who looked over at the two-seater table. Then Beca went to get a drink and came back to the table with a bowl of lucky charms. 

Chloe was wandering around looking for her. 

“Hey, red! Over here!” Beca yelled, causing Chloe to turn around. 

As the redhead sat down at the table Beca had chosen, she remarked on the strange array of food that her new friend had arranged on the small table. 

“What? I didn’t want to have to get up again until it was time to leave,” she explained as if it was the most natural thing in the world, taking a bite of her pizza. The warm cheese curled around her bottom lip and she shoved it back into her mouth. “So, what’s my favorite book?” 

“Well,” Chloe started, picking at her salad with her fork, “You’re artsy and pretentious so I’m going to go with Kerouac’s On the Road.” 

Beca wrinkled up her nose in disgust, sipping loudly from her glass of soda. 

“Kerouac was a pretentious douchebag and I’m not. You weren’t even close. My favorite book is a graphic novel. Ghost World. Ever heard of it?” 

“Oh! Yeah! I saw the movie. Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson, right?” Chloe brightened. 

Beca nodded. “The movie was pretty decent. The casting,” she held up her thumb in a positive gesture. “I really like the art style, and how Daniel Clowes manages to convey an emotion or a thought so well just through simple things like color.” 

“I’d like to read it sometime.” 

“You can totally borrow it; I have it in my room. We can drop by there after we’re done eating. I mean, if you don’t have some more nude modeling to do,” she raised her eyebrows. 

“I’d love to. Gosh, you’re really monopolizing my time already for someone I just met,” Chloe took a bite of her tomato, watching Beca’s face turn a similar color. 

“I, um, I’m sorry? I didn’t mean to,” she stammered. 

“You’re adorable. I was kidding. Sorry, I thought we had this back and forth teasing thing going on and, well, sorry. But I happen to think you’re pretty cool. So monopolize all you want.” 

A comfortable silence settled between them as they continued with their lunch, Chloe getting up to get something else while Beca sat in her chair, shoving spoonfuls of cereal in her mouth. When her new friend returned to the table, she made a comment about how much less effort she would’ve had to make if she would’ve just gotten her soup while she was already standing earlier. 

“Oh, my bad, I didn’t know I was watching Life Tips with Beca. Should I get out my tiny notebook and take notes? I don’t want to miss anything important,” she wondered with a chuckle. 

“Do you really have a tiny notebook?” 

Chloe pulled something out the pocket of her jeans. It was, in fact, a tiny notebook. She placed it on the table and when Beca reached for it, she slapped her hand. 

“Now, now. It’s sacred. Like your sketchpad probably is to you,” she chastised, scooting the notebook off to the far side of the table. 

“I get it,” Beca nodded before slurping milk from her bowl, “So you’re a writer?” 

Chloe shrugged. “I dabble. Poetry, fiction, nonfiction, fanfiction…”

“You write fanfiction?!” she spat out a bit of her milk laughing and she grabbed a napkin to clean up the mess, “I thought fanfiction was only for pimply Star Trek nerds living in their mother’s basements or something.” 

“Fanfiction is a perfectly valid form of expression,” Chloe defended herself rather huffily. 

“Can I read some of your fanfiction?” 

“Absolutely not.” 

After they finished their lunches, Beca and Chloe brought their dishes to the designated drop off area and left the dining hall, grabbing their things before they made their way to Beca’s dorm. They continued idly chatting along the way, getting wrapped up in a conversation about literature and art and how the two were often paired together. 

“We should totally do a comic together!” Chloe announced suddenly as they ascended the stairs of Beca’s dorm building. 

Beca was surprised by her new friend’s enthusiasm while also being amused at how perfect her idea was. She loved drawing comics, but had a more difficult time writing them herself, and she wondered if maybe Chloe was brought into her life to provide that missing aspect to the crappy comics she’d been churning out for years. 

“Dude! That would be sweet. I draw comics sometimes but I have a hard time coming up with the right words to go along with it,” She explained as she unlocked her dorm room, saying a silent indication of gratitude when she saw that her roommate wasn’t there. 

Chloe stood in Beca’s dorm, a bemused expression on her face. 

“When did you become a stoner?” she teased, referring to Beca’s sudden usage of the words ‘dude’ and ‘sweet’ and grinning at her. 

Beca stopped rifling through her bookcase and spun around. 

“What? How’d you know…oh. Shit. Right. You were making a joke,” she paused awkwardly, having just revealed herself as a pot smoker, “So I smoke pot sometimes? I hope that’s not a problem.” 

Chloe shrugged, not minding a bit. 

“I get it. You’re an artist, it makes sense. I mean I’ve smoked a couple times and always found myself really inspired. So no, it’s not a problem. I’m a casual user. I’ll smoke with people, but I’m not interested in buying my own,” she dropped down onto Beca’s bed. 

“Really? Cool. D’you want to smoke with me sometime?” She considered smoking with someone the ultimate bonding experience and though she’d just met Chloe, she really wanted to bond with her. 

As she thought this to herself, she realized just how deep she was in already. She’d known this girl for what, an hour and a half, and already she wanted to spend copious amounts of time with her? 

That was weird for Beca, when generally she didn’t want to be around anyone. She wasn’t a people person and hated feeling vulnerable, and so she’d gone most of her life without many close friends or significant others. But Chloe felt different to her somehow and she couldn’t begin to fathom why. 

“Sure, if you want. Not right now though, because I have a class in fifteen minutes and pot really screws up my concentration…” she trailed off as Beca approached her with the book in hand. 

Chloe snatched it from the brunette’s grasp and immediately began flipping through the pages, remarking how cool the art style was and how similar the character in the movie looked to the one in the comic. 

After glancing through the book, she placed it in her bag and promised Beca she’d take good care of it. She started a spiel about the sanctity of books and how she would take care not to spill anything on it or dog ear the pages and Beca found herself rolling her eyes yet grinning at how excruciatingly cute this girl was. She sighed to herself. 

“Well, I should probably get to class, but it was really great meeting you, Beca,” Chloe told her as she rose from the bed. She jumped forward and captured the sophomore in a surprisingly tight hug, knocking the wind out of the smaller girl. “I almost forgot!” She exclaimed, searching through her bag and then grabbing Beca’s hand, writing her phone number across her skin. 

Beca’s face was actually starting to hurt from how much she had smiled today. 

“It was great meeting you, too, Chloe,” she murmured, in disbelief that she’d actually made a new friend, especially one as beautiful and shockingly peppy as the redhead was, “I’ll text you so you’ll have my number too.” 

“I’d love that!” Chloe chirped, squeezing Beca in another hug before traipsing out the door.

Beca sat down on the bed, still warm from where Chloe had been sitting moments before. Her blue eyes fell to her hand, where she looked at the number written elegantly across her skin. She’d never seen someone write numberselegantly. But Chloe’s handwriting was just like Chloe, straightforward, bold and beautiful. 

She took her time texting her new friend, getting to work on some homework before her next class. She didn’t want to seem overeager by texting her right away. Beca sent her a short message saying hey and telling her who it was, and she was disappointed when she found that Chloe didn’t text her until hours later, after she’d already fallen asleep. 

Her text tone woke her up and with blurry vision she read the response, typing out something that probably didn’t turn out anything like what she’d intended, but she couldn’t see or really think as she’d just been woken from a dead sleep. Shoving her phone under the covers, Beca rolled over toward the wall and fell back asleep. 

It seemed to her that her next life drawing class was entirely too far away. By the time it was Wednesday, Beca had worked herself up so much about Chloe that she was afraid she wouldn’t even be able to talk to her this time. She was seriously crushing on the girl, which was bad news, and she wasn’t sure what she wanted more, to see her or to avoid her. 

“Beca! I LOVED the book, it was amazing,” Chloe greeted her immediately upon entering the classroom. She handed the book over and Beca took it, placing it in her bag. 

“I’m glad you liked it,” she responded a little dully. 

Beca felt one of her classmates side-eyeing her and Chloe as they spoke, an African American girl she’d had a couple classes with. She couldn’t recall her name, only that it was two names and one of them had something to do with a flower. She wondered why the girl was looking at them the way she was, craning her neck to listen in on their conversation. 

Chloe did her thing, disrobing and allowing the students to sketch her. Beca had an easier time the second go around, able to focus more on her drawing than ogling the beautiful body before her. 

Class seemed to fly by and it wasn’t long before they were all packing up to leave. Chloe whispered a quick goodbye near the end of the lesson and Beca watched her leave, wanting to follow but having to stay behind. Dan had a few things he wanted to talk to them about and she was frustrated, not caring about her professor’s words but wanting to apologize to Chloe for acting so weird. 

“So are you gonna ask her out or not? Cause if not, I’m going to.” 

The girl who’d been watching her exchange with Chloe came up to her as she put away her things. Beca looked up at her with a confused expression. Her face turned blotchy and red, wondering if her crush was that obvious. 

“God, am I that transparent? Wait. You’re gay?” Beca had terrible gaydar. But as she looked at the girl and how she dressed, she realized she did look pretty gay. “Do you think Chloe’s…?”

The girl laughed. 

“She’s the VP of the campus LGBTQA group,” she answered, adjusting the straps on her backpack. 

“Which letter is she?” Beca felt really stupid after she’d asked this. 

“From what I’ve heard, she’s the B. Bisexual. Pretty open about it, too,” the girl shrugged, “I’m Cynthia Rose, by the way. We had bio together last semester?” 

Beca wrinkled her nose after being reminded of the horrible required biology class she’d taken freshman year, something she’d only taken for the science credit. She hadn’t done well in the class but she’d managed to pass, at least. She remembered Cynthia Rose’s face from sitting a couple rows down. 

“Right, yeah. I’m Beca,” she held out her hand and they shook, dispersing out the door when they realized that the next class was already filing in. 

“So, Beca, how are you enjoying sketching that amazing piece of ass? I know I am,” Cynthia asked with raised brows. 

“It’s…nice,” she admitted in a small voice. 

“So you’re a lesbian, right?” Cynthia Rose wondered curiously. 

Beca nodded. “Yup.” 

“That’s cool. You should consider joining the Rainbow Alliance. It’d give you an excuse to spend more time with Chloe, anyhow,” she stopped in the hall, “By the way, I’m givin’ you a week to ask her out before I hone in on her with my charming ways,” she tapped on the watch on her wrist, “Tick tock,” With a wink, Cynthia said goodbye and went off in the other direction, leaving Beca alone. 

Beca decided to study in the library, finding her favorite comfy chair in the dark basement. She slid down the sleeves of her hoodie and leaned back, clutching her art history book in her hands as she read today’s reading. She felt someone watching her and she looked up, seeing a Korean girl messing with the bookshelves and staring at her. 

She tried to ignore it, going back to her book despite being creeped out by the other girl. Were all the Asians on campus creepy, or was it just the library chick and her roommate? Amused, Beca wondered if they were friends. Maybe they were sisters. 

Beca watched the girl shuffle around and eventually put her book down, walking over to the library staff girl and striking up a conversation with her. 

“So you work here?” She asked. 

The girl nodded, walking off to the next bookshelf. Beca followed her. 

“Do you like it?” 

Another nod. 

“I’m Beca,” she hoped maybe she could get the creepy girl with the doll eyes to actually say something. 

“I’m Lilly,” her lips were moving, but Beca didn’t hear anything. 

“Sorry, what?” Beca listened harder. 

“Lilly,” the taller girl repeated. 

“Oh, cool. Lot of flower names today,” silence, “Uh, I don’t mean to be rude, but why were you staring at me?” she finally asked. 

Lilly smiled a little. “I like your ear things,” she admitted, putting her finger on the black spike that was shoved through Beca’s ear. She was startled by the sudden touch and flinched. 

“Okay. Thanks?” Beca laughed, leaning awkwardly against the bookshelf, “So I’m gonna go finish my reading.” 

“Bye,” Lilly whispered, getting back to her work as Beca returned to her chair. 

The rest of her afternoon wasn’t noteworthy, attending her other classes and returning to her dorm to get started on one of her essays. It wasn’t due for two weeks, but she had a tendency to put things off so she decided to start early. 

She was halfway through the first page when her cell phone rang. It was Chloe. Her stomach did that irritating flutter thing when she saw her name pop up and it took her a minute to answer, trying to sound natural. 

“Hey.” 

“BECA, hiiiiii,” Chloe sounded even more peppy than usual, if that was even possible. 

“Uh, hi,” Beca furrowed her brows, wondering why she was so happy. 

“So I’ve been drinking. I mean thinking. No…I mean drinking. Well. Both. I’m at the Locker Room and they’re having karaoke and YOU should come because I want to see you,” her words began to slur together and Beca realized that she was highly intoxicated. 

“They’re having karaoke in the locker room?” Beca wasn’t really one for partying and didn’t know that the Locker Room was the name of a local bar. She frowned. 

“You’re so cute. It’s a bar two blocks away from campus. They don’t check IDs. I’m getting ready to sing a song and I want you to hear me. Please come!” Chloe begged. 

“I’m working on a paper so I probably shouldn’t.” 

“PLEASE. Just for an hour then you can get back to your paper. Pretty please? I’ll give you a big kiss!” 

Beca perked up at the mention of a kiss before reminding herself that Chloe was drunk and probably didn’t realize what she was saying. She sighed, hearing herself agree to meet Chloe at the bar despite her better judgment. 

Saving her document, Beca closed her Macbook and told her roommate she was going out.

“I don’t care,” Kimmy Jin said in her signature deadpan voice. 

At least she could count on her not to care. That was comforting, somehow. 

Beca pulled up her hood as she walked out into the chilly night air, chastising herself for catering to the whims of a particularly pretty girl just because she happened to have a crush on her. She should’ve been working dutifully on her paper and not gallivanting into the night, which was pretty damn cold. She walked to the bar, having no difficulty finding the building after Chloe’s friend Aubrey explained where it was located. Chloe was too far gone to give good directions. 

As she walked in, Beca was immediately greeted by Chloe running over and practically tackling her in a hug to a chorus of “you’re here!” repeated over and over. Beca hated drunk people, but somehow Chloe made public intoxication cute. Damn her for changing Beca’s rigid opinions on everything. 

After a long string of hugs and whispered flirtation (she’s drunk, she kept telling herself) Beca watched Chloe ascend the stage for her rendition of Eternal Flame. Her voice sounded pretty lousy and she had trouble standing up straight with the microphone stand, but she made it through and received large amounts of applause. As she approached Beca’s chair, she sat down on the brunette’s lap without another word. 

Beca’s eyes widened at the action, uncertain as to what she should do or say with Chloe on her lap. 

“I’m really glad you agreed to come. Chloe wouldn’t shut up about you all night,” Aubrey leaned in to say, a light smirk on her red lips. 

“Is that right?” Beca responded liltingly. Another self-reminder that Chloe was very drunk and none of this meant anything. 

“Drunk Chloe has a one track mind,” the blonde explained, taking a sip of her Dr. Pepper. 

“What track is that?” 

Chloe started laughing, burying her face in Beca’s neck and causing her to shiver at the sudden close contact. Aubrey raised her eyebrows as if to indicate that this was what she meant. Beca was about to respond when she thought she felt Chloe’s lips brushing against her skin. 

“What are you doing?” she asked, taken by surprise for the millionth time that night. 

“I promised you kisses…” Chloe reminded her before planting a wet kiss on Beca’s lips. 

This wasn’t exactly how Beca had imagined their first kiss (and yes, she had spent a considerable amount of time imagining the moment as if were actually going to occur) but despite the decidedly unromantic atmosphere and Chloe’s obvious intoxication , the kiss sent her heart beating into overdrive. 

“Um. Thanks,” Beca murmured as Chloe pulled away with a sugary grin on her face. 

“You should sing something for me!” she announced, hopping off of Beca’s lap to grab the song book and thrusting it in her direction. 

“I don’t know, I don’t really sing.” 

“Sing!” 

“You should do it, or she’s just gonna keep asking until you cave,” Aubrey butted in, watching her friend with amusement at her typical drunken antics. It was obvious she was used to caring for her in this capacity. 

“Ugh, fine,” Beca looked through the book and found something that looked promising, filling out one of the little slips of paper and giving it to the DJ. 

She was surprised when she was immediately called up. Something to do with being new meant she was first in line, jumping ahead of the singers already signed up. 

She clutched the microphone in her hands as she heard the opening notes to the song. Beca couldn’t believe she’d let Chloe talk her into this, she’d never sung in front of an audience before. Well, most of the audience, besides Aubrey and the DJ, was drunk, so she figured they wouldn’t remember anyway. 

You shout it out, but I can’t hear a word you say I’m talking loud not saying much I’m criticized but all your bullets ricochet You shoot me down, but I get up

Her voice sounded pretty weak in the first couple of lines, but she felt a little more comfortable upon realizing hardly anyone was paying attention to her. Chloe watched raptly, her blue eyes trained on Beca, getting her nervous all over again. 

“THAT’S MY LADY JAM!!!” Chloe yelled before running off toward the stage to join Beca in singing the song. She tripped over the top of the stage and fell, causing Beca to pause to help her up. 

The two of them started singing together, both sounding pretty terrible and out of tune. 

I’m bulletproof, nothing to lose, fire away, fire away Ricochet, you take your aim, fire away, fire away

Beca started to have fun with it, though, rather enjoying the feeling of Chloe’s hot breath on her face as she stood way too close to her. They sang and danced like goofballs together and Beca realized this was the first time she’d had a seriously good time since she started at Barden. 

A large-bodied girl in the audience whooped and hollered at them as they sang and Beca grinned, glad at least one person was enjoying their performance besides herself. 

When the song came to a close, Chloe’s hand squeezed hers and she gave her a kiss on the cheek. 

“That was SO GOOD!” she kept saying as they walked back over to their table. 

Aubrey pretended to agree and Beca had a drink before the three of them trudged back to campus, Chloe’s arms around both of them as they helped her navigate through the darkness. 

She wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting, but Beca was unimpressed by the sorority house. It didn’t look all that different from the dorms, although the rooms were a little bigger and it seemed the sorority sisters were allowed to decorate a lot more than the regular dorm residents could. It seemed oddly familiar to her, actually, as if she’d been there before. 

Aubrey and Beca brought Chloe to her room and Aubrey excused herself to take a shower, leaving the two of them alone. 

Beca thought this was a very bad idea considering that Chloe had been flirting with her all night and she really liked her. She didn’t want to do something she’d regret with someone incredibly drunk. Her last drunken hookup had been a complete disaster, except in that case they’d both been drunk. Right now she was sober and she was going to have to be the responsible one, despite how drunk being around Chloe made her feel. 

Chloe collapsed onto her bed and Beca mumbled something about getting back to her dorm, rising before the redhead grabbed her arm. 

“Wait,” she pleaded, narrowing her soul-crushing blue eyes, “Beca, I’m not just saying this because I’m drunk, but I really like you, like a lot.” 

“I…really?” Beca replied, in disbelief over Chloe’s admission of her feelings. 

The older girl nodded, sitting up as she still clutched her arm. 

“I really do.” 

Chloe’s hands rested on her face and pulled her closer, and their lips met for the second time that evening. This kiss was more romantic than the first and less sloppy, but Beca could still taste the alcohol on her lips. She wondered if she would ever be able to kiss her when she was sober, or if she was just being so open and honest (hopefully she was being honest and wasn’t just a flirty drunk) because of the booze. Beca peeled herself away, apologizing and telling Chloe that she had to go. 

Despite the girl’s protests, Beca left the Alpha Chi Omega house in favor of her own room, thoughts swirling in her mind about everything that had happened that night. 

She ran into Chloe the next morning at the café, noticing how haggard her appearance was. The junior wore dark sunglasses, sweatpants and a baggy Barden hoodie, barely acknowledging her as Beca said hello to her in the line for coffee. 

Chloe texted her later that day apologizing for being rude, explaining that she’d been really hung over and sick and hoping Beca wasn’t upset with her. She wanted to ask Chloe about last night. She wanted to ask about her behavior and her flirting and the kisses and what they meant, but Beca couldn’t do it. She just hoped maybe Chloe remembered. 

On Friday Beca was again greeted by the sight of Chloe’s naked body. And damn, was it still a sight to see. Her finished sketch turned out pretty amazing if she did say so herself, and Dan took up all the sketches toward the end of class to grade them. 

He singled out a few classmates, commending them on their good work and then stopping when he got to Beca’s drawing. 

“Does anyone know what makes this sketch stand out from all the others?” he asked the class. 

Beca tried to pretend it wasn’t her drawing, but her face was burning with mortification, which probably made it entirely too obvious that the sketch her professor was holding up was her own. 

A couple people made guesses as to what made her drawing unique, but Dan corrected them. 

“Passion. As you can see, the lines are imperfect, but that’s okay—you can tell the artist was very passionate about their subject,” the corners of his lips crinkled into a smile. 

He didn’t say any more on the matter, passing the sketches back. He handed Beca’s to her last, after most everyone had already left. 

“Astounding job, Ms. Mitchell,” he winked, sliding the paper into her hands. 

Beca thanked him, her face still hot with embarrassment. She flipped the paper over to see that he’d given her a few extra points on the assignment and scrawled a little note in his ridiculously unreadable handwriting. 

It seems that the artist has found her muse.

It took her five tries to figure out what the note said, and after she realized it, she shoved the drawing into her sketchbook and tried to run away from Chloe, who was on her heels. 

“Beca, wait,” she chased after her, making it halfway down the hall before Beca spun around. 

“Ugh, I was trying to make a dramatic exit,” the brunette said. 

“It was your sketch, wasn’t it? The one he said had passion,” Chloe’s voice was actually quivering. 

Beca sighed, preparing herself for a speech about how the two of them should just be friends and how the kisses they’d shared on her drunken night had meant nothing. She nodded curtly. 

“Do you agree with what he said?” 

“What do you mean?” Beca asked carefully. 

“Do you feel passionate about me?” Chloe dared, her blue eyes burning into Beca’s. 

“I don’t—I don’t know, maybe I do, but it’s stupid, I’ve known you for a few days and we’ve only hung out twice and it’s dumb of me to….” 

“Shut up,” Chloe silenced Beca with a sudden kiss, her lips tasting of bubblegum instead of alcohol this time. Beca felt that familiar swelling sensation in her heart and she leaned into the kiss, paying no mind to the people shuffling to and from class around them. 

When the kiss had ended, Beca was speechless. 

“Show me the drawing,” the older girl pleaded, and Beca did as she was asked, letting Chloe look at the piece of artwork she’d been working on all week, “Wow. You made me look beautiful.” 

“You are beautiful. I didn’t make you that way,” Beca responded, ignoring how cheesy she probably sounded. Chloe smiled. 

“Why don’t we go out for a drink tonight? Just one. I promise. No drunky Chloe tonight,” She giggled, her eyes sparkling. 

“Yeah, okay.” 

“Oh, and I brought you something,” Chloe took a book out of her bag and handed it to her friend with a grin on her lips, “Please give it a try. It’s a really good book.” 

Beca looked down at the cover, reading the title to herself. The Bell Jar. She remembered Chloe admitting how much she liked Sylvia Plath when they’d been discussing literature during lunch. She didn’t really know anything about Plath, except that she was depressed and had killed herself. 

She nodded. “Alright, I will.” 

That night, Beca and Chloe met at the same bar in which they’d performed their mediocre duet. Beca ordered whatever beer was on tap and barely bothered sipping it while Chloe sucked down her daiquiri like it was a Slurpee. 

“You’re the two chicks I saw in here howlin’ like dingoes the other night!” 

The girl Beca remembered cheering for them that night approached them at the bar. She introduced herself as Fat Amy and began telling them about her life, how was from Tasmania and how ridiculously good she was at singing, talking both of their ears off to the point that they grew frustrated. 

It was only after they promised to stop by her dorm room sometime that Fat Amy finally relented and left them in peace. 

“It’s going to be weird coming to class on Monday without spending the entire 45 minutes staring at your naked body,” Beca commented, wiping the froth from her lips. 

“Well, anytime you want a refresher, just ask,” Chloe smirked. 

The brunette let out a chuckle, offering to buy her companion another drink if she wanted. Chloe declined, opting instead for a soda. She fiddled with the bendy straw as Beca spoke. 

“I might just have to take you up on that.” 

“Oh yeah? Well you’d better be willing to do the same for me,” she shot back, raising an eyebrow. 

Beca gaped at her for a moment. 

“Yeah, no, that’s not gonna happen. You’re not an artist, it’s not like you can draw me naked anyway.” 

“Beca Mitchell, I can’t believe you just said I wasn’t an artist. Isn’t writing an art?” Chloe sounded offended, but she was playing, “There’s another kind of nudity, anyway. What about you open yourself up to me and allow yourself to be vulnerable and I’ll write something about you? I have to do a piece on someone for my creative writing class, anyway. It’s only fair, since I got you such a good grade on your life drawing sketch.” 

“Maybe,” she paused, “What would that consist of?” 

“A few shots of whiskey and you’ll be pouring your heart out to me, baby,” Chloe got the bartender to deliver them some shots. 

Beca groaned, holding up the shot glass and looking at the alcohol within. 

“I don’t know about this. Last time I got drunk, I did some pretty stupid shit,” she was referring to her drunken hookup with this girl, Stacie. It got really awkward the next morning and Beca had to do a certified walk of shame back to her dorm. 

As Beca ruminated on this not-so-proud moment of hers, she realized something. The girl she’d slept with had lived in the sorority house. The same sorority house that Chloe lived in. That’s why it looked so familiar to her. The color drained out of her face and the other girl snapped her fingers in front of her just to capture her attention again. 

“Hello? Earth to Beca?” 

“Shit, sorry. I just had a flashback, and now I’m thinking this shot is a good idea,” she murmured before throwing back the shot, wincing at the sharpness of the alcohol. 

Chloe had taken the shot with her after insisting that the rest were for Beca. 

“A flashback? You’re not about to go all Eternal Sunshine on me, are you?” 

Beca couldn’t help but muster a smile when Chloe mentioned one of her very favorite films. She laughed, washing the taste of the whiskey out of her mouth with her beer. 

“No, it’s just like I said, the last time I was drunk I was an idiot. I hooked up with this girl, and…well, that doesn’t matter, but I was just thinking about the girl and that night and realized something.” 

Chloe paused for a minute, the dramatics made her panic. She wondered if maybe she had drunkenly hooked up with Beca before and forgotten all about it. But there was no way she wouldn’t remember hooking up with someone as hot as Beca. 

“What’d you realize?” she asked when she got sick of waiting for Beca to tell her. 

Beca took her second shot, hissing at the burning of the alcohol in her throat. 

“I realized the girl I hooked up with was one of your sorority sisters.” 

She seemed genuinely shocked for a moment before she inquired as to whether Beca was willing to tell her which sorority sister she’d hooked up with, or if she’d have to guess. 

“Her name was Stacie,” she recalled, her fingers curling against another full shot glass. 

As she downed her third shot, Beca reminded herself that it was Friday night and she could get as drunk as she wanted, because at least she didn’t have class tomorrow. 

“Huh. Stacie, really? I didn’t think she was your type,” Chloe sounded almost offended. 

“What? Oh, she’s not. That’s why I hooked up with her and didn’t propose to her, obviously,” Beca laughed, licking the alcohol off of her lips, “She was hot, we were drunk, we fooled around. That was about the extent of it. No, wait, I forgot to mention how horrendous it was doing an actual walk of shame. I never thought I’d sink quite that low.” 

The redhead was amused by Beca’s self-chastisement. 

“You’re not a one night stand kind of girl, are you?” 

Beca shook her head sharply. “Not at all.” 

“So, you’re one of those people who gets into serial relationships?” 

“No,” she said it as if the mere thought was disgusting. 

Chloe scoffed. “Well, then, what kind of person are you?” 

She shrugged, rocking her stool back and forth in an effort to avoid the question. Beca had only had one relationship before, and it had been during high school. She didn’t want to admit this, though, because she knew it would make her sound pathetic. 

“So mysterious,” the older girl murmured, leaning closer to her companion, “What is your type, anyway? If it isn’t Stacie.” 

Beca gave her a flirtatious grin. “I like redheads.” 

It didn’t take too much more alcohol in Beca’s system to get her intoxicated. She hadn’t eaten much that day and didn’t drink often, causing the alcohol to affect her even more than a normal person. When she had difficulty sitting on her stool, Chloe called them a cab and brought them back to her dorm room. 

“What do you like about me?” Chloe asked once they’d gotten situated in Beca’s room, the shorter girl lying on her bed and staring up at the ceiling. 

She knew that with Beca inebriated, she could get her to answer any questions she wanted to ask. It was devious, sure, but she had to figure out what the brunette was thinking some way or another. 

“Everything, I like everything about you,” she was slurring slightly, “Your hands and the freckles on your thighs and how nice you are to me and how weird you are. I like you so much it scares me.” 

Chloe slid into the bed with Beca, pulling the covers up around them. She brought the younger girl’s head up onto her chest and began playing with her hair. 

“Why does it scare you?” 

She had noticed that Beca seemed to hold most people at a distance. She didn’t really have any friends at Barden until now, and had more or less admitted that she didn’t do relationships either. Something must have happened to make her like that, because social recluses aren’t born, they’re made. 

“I don’t want to get hurt again. And love is bad for me,” she sighed, “Love is bad for everyone. My parents fell out of love and it changed my life forever. I don’t want to be like that. I want to be me for me not for someone else.” 

Chloe thought she understood Beca’s reasoning. A past relationship had hurt her, probably quite badly, and her parents had gotten divorced, something else that seriously damaged her outlook on love. 

“Love can be good, too. If it’s with the right person. Do you believe in soul mates?” Chloe prompted, leaning down and looking at Beca, rubbing her thumb along the sophomore’s chin. 

Beca laughed at the thought, rolling her eyes and asserting that she thought the whole concept was stupid and only relevant in romance novels and “girl movies.” 

“You actually have the right attitude, though, Beca. Most girls spend all their time searching for love. But love can’t be found, it finds you…Shakespeare once wrote that ‘Love sought is good, but given unsought is better.’ That line was in Twelfth Night. It’s my favorite of his plays,” Chloe didn’t know why she was telling her all this when she probably wouldn’t recall it in the morning, “Essentially what he’s saying is that if you seek love and find it, that’s good, but if you’re given love, without seeking it, it’s better. The best kind of love is unexpected. It sneaks up on you.” 

“Mmm.” 

She’d reached the point in her drunk state that she was only making sounds. She burrowed deep in Chloe’s chest before realizing what she was doing. Her mouth turned upward and her hands found Chloe’s waist. Beca kissed her, hard. 

“Beca, stop,” Chloe gently pushed her away. 

It wasn’t that she didn’t want her. But she knew Beca wasn’t in the right state to know what she was doing, and Chloe cared too much about her to do something that sober Beca might not want. 

“Don’t you like me? Don’t you find me attractive?” the words tumbled from Beca’s hurt lips.

“Of course, baby,” the usage of pet names came naturally to the redhead, even more so when she was in her maternal taking-care-of-someone-drunk mode, “I think you’re ridiculously gorgeous, even right now with your bedhead,” she smiled, brushing her lips against the crown of Beca’s head. “And I like you a whole lot.” 

“Oh,” The drunken girl was silent for a moment before her fingers searched for Chloe’s, “Stay with me?” 

“Always,” Chloe whispered. 

Waking up the next morning felt incredibly awkward for Beca. Chloe didn’t mind at all, but she never minded anything. When Beca woke up tangled in her crush’s arms, she immediately tried to piece together what had happened last night and remembered bits and pieces of their conversation, mortified when she recalled forcing herself on Chloe. 

As it turned out, the redhead was an incredibly heavy sleeper and Beca was able to get up and make coffee for them before she even began to stir. 

“Good morning,” Chloe yawned, grabbing the mug from Beca’s outstretched hand. She took a long drink from the warm beverage, “How are you feeling?” 

“Like I got ran over by a bus,” Beca clutched her head and her friend remarked that she’d be glad to rub her temples if she wanted, “Yeah, I’m gonna have to pass. I’ll be alright. Listen, I’m a little fuzzy on the details, but I’m pretty sure I was an ass to you last night and I’m sorry. I warned you, though. Alcohol makes me stupid.” 

Grinning, Chloe put down the coffee mug on the side table. 

“No, alcohol makes you brave,” she argued, seizing Beca’s hand. “And frankly, you could use a little more bravery.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“You’re always holding yourself back from acting on your feelings. You need to just let it be and do what you want. Stop holding yourself at a distance from everyone and everything all the time.” 

Chloe’s words were too spot on for comfort. It made Beca nervous to know that this girl she’d known for less than a week already had her completely figured out. She’d probably lose interest any day now. 

“Am I totally transparent or something?” her frustration was evident in her voice. 

“No, you’re not; I’m just crazy good at reading people. Don’t feel bad. Please. I just, I think you’re too afraid to let anyone close to you and I think it’s a shame that—”

“Don’t,” Beca clenched her jaw. 

Chloe’s eyes snapped up to look at her, startled by the sudden edge to her voice and expression. She lifted the coffee cup and took another long drink before replacing it on the table. 

“I should go.” 

Before Beca could apologize again, Chloe abruptly left her dorm room, leaving her feeling even more like shit than she already did. Now it wasn’t just the hangover giving her a headache, but also the lingering sensation that she’d actually hurt Chloe’s feelings. 

She meant what she’d said last night about being afraid. Having feelings of this magnitude for someone she barely knew was sending up all kinds of red flags. She found herself trying to push Chloe away despite wanting her to stay close. 

It took several hours for her headache to die down and once it did, Beca had done a lot of thinking on the Chloe situation. She wasn’t any closer to knowing what to do. She could count the people she could ask for advice on one hand: her parents, Chloe’s roommate, her own roommate and Jesse. 

She wasn’t going to her parents for girl advice and her roommate hated her. The thought of Chloe’s roommate was promising, but she got the idea that Aubrey didn’t like her very much. She didn’t want to give Jesse the satisfaction of continuing their les-bro relationship that irked so much. 

That’s when she remembered the Australian girl from the bar last night. For some strange reason, she actually still remembered Amy’s room number, located in the same dorm she lived. She found the room and knocked on the door, shifting her weight from foot to foot as she considered running away before someone answered. Beca hated opening up to people. 

“Oh, hey! Look at you, must’ve had a right good night then,” Amy let her in and chuckled at her appearance. She was about to glare at her when she realized she needed to ask her for help. 

“Yeah, it was crazy. How’s your day going?” Beca asked, sticking to the usual pleasantries. 

“Yeah it’s good; I was just eating a toaster pastry,” she held up a half-eaten toaster pastry before shoving it back into her mouth and loudly devouring it. 

“Cool. Listen, this is really weird but I was wondering if maybe you could give me some advice. I don’t really have anyone else to ask and I feel really stupid even asking you but I’m kind of at a loss here,” she said slowly. 

Amy grinned. “I’m like super good at advice. Sit down. Hit me.” 

Beca took a seat and a breath. 

“You know the girl you saw me with at the bar?” 

“The ginger.” 

“Right, the ginger,” Beca smiled a little, “I’m crushing on her, hardcore, and she likes me too. But I haven’t really been in a relationship since high school and that was my only serious one. I’m really shitty at love and I don’t really want a relationship. But I like Chloe. I just met her Monday and I like her so much that I’m pretty sure it’s certifiable as obsessed, and…well. I don’t know.” She threw up her hands. 

Amy tapped her chin with her finger. 

“Hmm. Sounds like you need to get laid. Then you’ll stop being so uptight all the time.” 

“What? That’s not even relevant to anything I just said,” Beca stammered. 

“Or is it? How long has it been since you got your whistle wet, your tally whacked? You sure seem like you could do with a little horizontal refreshment.” 

“I—I—it’s been like a year I guess,” her cheeks reddened with the mention of this private matter. 

Amy nodded her head. “Knew it. Get laid. Then everything will make sense again. 

Beca knew that asking Amy for advice hadn’t really been the best decision, but she’d been desperate. Whether Amy had a point or not wasn’t important, it was more her issues with Chloe that were bothering her. She didn’t know why she couldn’t just ask the girl out like any normal person would. 

In the back of her mind she remembered Cynthia Rose and how she’d promised that if Beca hadn’t asked Chloe out by Monday, that she would. It was Saturday now and that meant she had two days before the other girl scooped her up…assuming that Chloe would say yes. (Why wouldn’t she?) 

Sucking up her pride, Beca decided to stop by the sorority house. The building didn’t have regular entrance and she had to be buzzed in, stepping into the house with her breath hitched in her throat as she searched for Aubrey and Chloe’s shared room. She hoped that Chloe wouldn’t be there or her entire trip would be in vain. 

When she found the familiar door, decorated with photographs of Aubrey and Chloe and their friends, Beca knocked loudly against the wood and waited for someone to answer. 

“Oh. It’s you,” Aubrey’s face fell when she saw it was Beca, “Chloe isn’t here.” 

“Well, that’s fine; I actually came to see you.” 

Looking surprised and slightly concerned, Aubrey allowed Beca into the room and closed the door. She crossed her arms and regarded her visitor with interest. 

“Why would you come to see me? It’s not as if we’re friends,” Aubrey had a habit of being blunt, and Beca respected that about her. 

“True, but you’re best friends with Chloe, and I was wondering what you thought about her and I. I don’t know, I really like her and I think she really likes me, too, so I was considering asking her out to dinner or something. I don’t really know anything about dates or dating but I’d like to try for her,” she traced the stitch on the pocket of her jeans with her index finger, “I’m not good at this.” 

Aubrey chuckled mirthfully. “She does like you, although I can’t imagine why. With those ear monstrosities and your tendency to overuse the smoky eye look and your antisocial behavior…but I digress. It doesn’t matter if I agree with her choice or not, the girl has it bad for you. I’ve had to hear the same Bruno Mars song fifty times this week and I’m going to throw Chloe’s iPod out the window if I have to hear it one more time,” she let out a breath, “If you haven’t noticed, she’s a romantic. You can just ask her out to dinner if you want, but I would suggest you try to make it a little more special than that. If you really care about her, you’ll think of something.” 

Beca blinked, trying to think of something romantic she could do. She didn’t have one romantic bone in her body. She sighed, meeting Aubrey’s eyes with a hesitant smile. 

“I don’t know, Aubrey, I’m not really one for romantic gestures.” 

“I gave you all the advice I’m giving you. How you use it is up to you. But just remember, Chloe is a prize to be won. She’s really special and you’re going to regret it if you decide not to show her that,” Aubrey remarked sharply, her gaze cutting into the younger girl. 

“Yeah, okay,” she muttered, dropping her voice even more, “You’d think you were in love with her or something.” 

“What was that?” 

“Nothing. Um, thanks,” Beca offered lamely, wandering toward the door. 

Aubrey stopped her for a moment. “One more thing,” she spoke in a sickly sweet voice, “If you break her heart, I’ll break all the bones in your hand so you can never make art again.” 

“I—holy shit, that’s a little much, don’t you think?” 

The blonde smiled, ushering her out of the bedroom whilst Beca realized how seriously overprotective Chloe’s roommate and best friend was being. Great, just another thing to worry about, she thought to herself, wondering if she should take out a life insurance policy before asking Chloe out. 

As she made her way down the hallway, Beca was lost in thought, trying to think of some romantic way she could sweep Chloe off her feet. She wasn’t paying much attention to where she was going and ended up bumping into someone, causing the laundry they were carrying to fall to the floor. 

Apologizing profusely, Beca bent down and started picking up the clothes before she locked eyes with their owner; a tall brunette with an ample bosom. Shit. 

“Stacie, hey, I’m sorry, I should’ve been watching where I was going,” she could literally feel all the color drain from her own face when she grabbed a pair of skimpy underwear and she shoved them back into Stacie’s laundry basket, “How are you?” 

Once her clothes were in order, Stacie dropped the basket on the floor and looked at Beca with a shrug. She didn’t seem upset by her presence, which was a good sign. Beca hadn’t seen her since she’d snuck out the morning after their hookup and she wasn’t certain how serious the other girl considered sessions such as these. 

“I’m good, thanks. It’s nice to see you, Beca,” there was a sparkle in her eye, “We should catch up sometime, if you want.” 

“I’m gonna have to pass, I mean—we can be friends, for sure, but I’m actually, well,” Beca felt lame admitting this, “I’m kind of trying to woo one of your sorority sisters.” 

Stacie giggled. “Yeah, I know. And that’s what I meant, as friends. I don’t usually hook up with the same person twice, unless they’re really special if you know what I mean. It’s too close to a relationship and I don’t do relationships.” 

Well, that explained her nonchalance about the whole situation. Apparently Stacie did a lot of sleeping around. Beca reminded herself to get tested at the campus medical center for any STDs just in case. It would be just her luck to have contracted something during the one night she’d let herself have fun. 

“That’s good. Wait, what do you mean you know?” Did the entire sorority house know about whatever was going on between her and Chloe? 

“I just noticed you two had been hanging out is all. And I knew you liked girls and so does she, so I just kinda put two and two together. Where does that phrase come from?” she wondered aloud, “But yeah I think you two would be really hot together.” 

“Thanks,” Beca genuinely smiled at the compliment. 

They bid each other goodbye and Stacie walked to the laundry room, Beca going in the other direction toward the exit. Her nerves were bubbling up in the pit of her stomach from the thought of asking Chloe out. She still had to think of something romantic. 

She was halfway to her dorm room when she thought of something. Picking up her pace, she veered off course to the library, getting onto one of the computers and typing in the information she needed. It took some time to select the perfect one, but once she had, Beca printed it out and returned to her dorm room to memorize the words. 

Once she had the words in her mind, Beca prepared herself for the romantic gesture. She felt ridiculous as she made her way to the sorority house and even more so when she stood by Chloe’s window, bending down to look for pebbles to throw at her window. 

Finally finding one, she threw it a little too hard and she thought she heard the glass shatter. 

She heard Aubrey let out a shriek and watched as the blonde opened the window. She rolled her eyes immediately upon seeing Beca and called Chloe over before disappearing from the window frame. 

“Beca?” Chloe furrowed her brows, looking down at her as she wondered why Beca was outside the window instead of coming in the normal way. 

“Sorry I broke your window,” this wasn’t really going as planned. 

“That’s okay, what were you trying to do?” 

“Just listen to me for a minute,” Beca pleaded, drawing a breath before she started reciting Shakespeare’s forty-seventh sonnet, “Betwixt mine eye and heart a league is took, and each doth good turns now unto the other: when that mine eye is famish’d for a look, or heart in love with sighs himself doth smother.” 

Chloe was smiling in recognition of the poem, leaning into the window frame with her elbows wedged there. She waited for Beca to continue. 

“With my love’s picture then my eye doth feast, and to the painted banquet bids my heart; another time mine eye is my heart’s guest, and in his thoughts of love doth share a part.” 

Sure, this was cheesy as hell, but upon seeing the redhead’s reaction and the gigantic smile her words had elicited, Beca thought it was worth it. 

“So…so…” Beca forgot the next line. 

“So, either by thy picture or my love, thy self away, art present still with me,” Chloe called out. 

Those two lines caused her to remember the next two. 

“For thou not farther than my thoughts canst move, and I am still with them, and they with thee.” 

Together they recited the end of the sonnet. 

“Or, if they sleep, thy picture in my sight awakes my heart, to heart’s and eyes’ delight.” 

Beca’s body grew warm and she stood there, wondering what she should do next. Chloe asked her to come upstairs and she did, immediately greeted by a startling kiss. 

“You did good, kid,” Aubrey complimented when they’d broken apart. 

“Thanks,” Beca breathed. 

“You’re paying for our window.” 

“I will, I swear,” the brunette promised before Chloe grabbed her hand and pulled her outside. 

The date was a simple one in which they picked up food from the café and dined together at one of the outside tables, but it didn’t matter to either of them what they were doing. Chloe still wore the smile on her lips that she’d had ever since Beca had begun reciting Shakespeare’s sonnet. 

“You’ve captured my heart, Beca Mitchell,” she told her between bites of her sandwich, “may I ask what you intend to do with it?” 

“I’m going to put it in a jar by my bed,” Beca quipped darkly. 

The lover of Poe laughed, her hand dropping to her date’s. 

“You’re perfect,” she remarked, pushing a stray curl behind her ear, “Have you finished the Bell Jar yet?” 

Beca put down her own sandwich, nodding quickly at the question while she swallowed the remains of the food in her throat. 

“Yes, and I’m partway through Ariel, you’re right, Sylvia Plath was an amazing writer,” she admitted, gushing a little, “so I might’ve went to my advisor about taking on an English minor.” 

“No way, did you really?” this excited Chloe. 

“I did. We’ll probably have some classes together next semester!” Beca didn’t usually get enthusiastic about much, but the book Chloe had lent her spoke to her a lot about some issues in her own life, and she had begun to delve into the author’s other works, seeing more and more that she could relate to. It was this that caused her passion to ignite and for her decision to be made. 

The rest of their lunch went pleasantly and that night the two girls and some friends (Aubrey, Stacie, Fat Amy and some others) went back to the Locker Room. Each of them participated in karaoke; Chloe singing “that Bruno Mars song” that Aubrey had told Beca about, and Beca doing an impressive version of Dr. Dre’s “No Diggity” that earned her respect from the entire bar. 

Chloe and Beca spent most of the weekend together brainstorming about their newest venture, a comic that would enlist both of their particular skills. It was a collaboration that worked well and the first drafts were crafted by Monday afternoon, in time for Beca to share them with her life drawing class. 

“So you asked her out, huh?” Cynthia Rose asked when she saw the comic. 

“Yup,” Beca assured her. 

“I never stood a chance, anyway,” she laughed. 

Beca wasn’t really sure where all this was going to lead, but she tried not to worry herself with the details. Instead she enjoyed the time she spent with Chloe and let herself have fun with whatever this was between them. Chloe didn’t pressure her into a relationship or even into sex, but both of those came in time, a natural condition of their close interaction on a daily basis. Beca probably wouldn’t admit it, but she was strongly starting to believe in the concept of soul mates.Nude drawings weren’t new territory for Beca. She was a 2nd year art major and she was fairly used to sketching nude bodies for life drawing class. As a freshman, she’d been taken aback by the idea, almost letting the mere thought of having to do a nude drawing deter her from majoring in the field she was most passionate about. Her parents would’ve been ecstatic to find out that their daughter was doing something more “realistic” with her life, though, and she couldn’t give them that kind of satisfaction. 


End file.
